John Henry Weber facts for kids

John Henry Weber (1779–1859) was an important American fur trader and explorer. He was very active in the early days of the fur trade. Weber explored the Rocky Mountains and areas in what is now the state of Utah. Many places like the Weber River, Weber State University, and Weber County, Utah are named after him!

Early Life and Work

John Henry Weber was born around 1779 in Altona. This town was part of Denmark back then, but it's now in Germany. Later, Weber moved to the United States. He got a job with the United States Army Ordnance Department. His job was to keep records for government-owned lead mines in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri.

Joining the Fur Trade

Weber met William Henry Ashley and Andrew Henry. These men were involved in trading beaver furs near the Upper Missouri River. In the spring of 1822, Weber joined an expedition with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. They left from St. Louis, Missouri.

Other famous trappers on this trip included Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, and Hugh Glass. This group was the first American trapping party to cross the continental divide. This is a high ridge that separates rivers flowing to different oceans.

Exploring New Lands

When they reached the Yellowstone River, the company split into two groups. Weber was a leader in one of these groups. In the summer of 1824, Weber's group crossed South Pass. They also traveled through the Green River Valley. Then, they went down into the Bear River area. This was just in time for a fall hunt.

As winter came, the group traveled to Bear Lake. Then they went to the Bear River's northern bend. Finally, they headed south into what is now Cache Valley in Utah. Weber's group spent the winter of 1824–25 near present-day Cove, Utah.

While in Cache Valley, the group talked about where the Bear River went. Young Jim Bridger was chosen to float down the river to find out. For many years, Bridger was given credit for finding the Great Salt Lake. But newer information suggests that Etienne Provost and his group may have visited the lake earlier that same winter. Provost was a Canadian-American trapper working from Taos.

Conflicts and Discoveries

The next spring, Weber's group explored parts of southeastern Idaho and northern Utah. A part of the group, led by Johnson Gardner, met Peter Skene Ogden. Ogden was the leader of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) expedition. They met near what is now Mountain Green, Utah.

Gardner said they were in United States territory. Ogden said the area was shared by both countries. During this meeting, Gardner convinced some men to leave the British company. He offered them more money for their furs. This made Ogden's group smaller, so he went back to Montana.

That summer, Weber and his group attended the first Rocky Mountain Rendezvous. This was a big meeting where trappers traded furs and supplies. It was held in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, near McKinnon.

Naming the Weber River

Weber's time in the mountains after this is not as well known. However, he spent the winter of 1825-26 in the Salt Lake Valley. This was after severe winter weather forced Ashley's men to move their camp. It seems that Utah's Weber River was named during this winter camp. This naming led to the current names of Weber Canyon, Weber County, and Weber State University in Utah.

Weber attended the rendezvous in 1826 in Cache Valley. He left the fur trade and the West soon after.

Later Years and Death

Weber spent the rest of his life in the American Midwest. He first went back to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. There, he returned to his old job as a recorder for the U.S. government lead mines.

In 1833, Weber was an assistant superintendent for U.S. government lead mines in Galena, Illinois. He even served briefly as the superintendent. He retired in 1840. John Henry Weber passed away in 1859, at about 80 years old.

Sources

• Hafen, LeRoy R., ed. (2003) The Mountain Men and the Fur Trade of the Far West (Glendale, California: Arthur H. Clark Company. volume 9, pages 379–384) ISBN: 9780870620997
• Morgan, Dale L. (1964) The West of William H. Ashley (Old West Publishing Company)
• Roberts, Richard C., and Sadler, Richard W. (1997) A History of Weber County (Salt Lake City: Weber County Commission) ISBN: 9780913738146
• Walker J.P. (2015) The Legendary Mountain Men of North America (Lulu.com) ISBN: 9781312921511